Chicago Workers' Compensation Attorney Blog

Late last month the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety & Health Administration announced new directives that would decrease the hazard of construction fall injuries. Roofing accidents in Chicago present a major threat and are a common cause of residential and commercial construction injuries in the Chicago area.

Latino workers account for over 33% of all construction workers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 40 workers are fatally injured each year on the job as a result of falling from residential roofs. In other words, a construction worker is killed on average, about once a week.

Often lacking adequate access to protection and safety information, Latino workers make up 33% of the fatally injured workers.

"Fatalities from falls are the number one cause of workplace deaths in construction. We cannot tolerate workers getting killed in residential construction when effective means are readily available to prevent those deaths," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. "Almost every week, we see a worker killed from falling off a residential roof. We can stop these fatalities, and we must."

This new directive states that workers that are working on residential construction six feet or more above ground must be protected by some means of conventional fall protection. These should include a guardrail, safety net or personal fall arrest systems. Certain jobs may require an alternative fall protection measure. An optional can be proposed if the traditional methods are unfeasible. Employers will have until June 16, 2011 to initiate compliance to the new standards of safety.

The following are some rooftop safety tips that employees can follow:

-Don't stand on, sit on or lean against a cover placed over a hole or a skylight lens.

-Cover all holes before leaving a work area. If you use material that isn't weight barring then you should clearly identify the area as a fall hazard.

-Acquire information about fall protection from OSHA or your employer.

-When using a Personal Fall Arrest System use only anchor points identified by your employer. Inspection of your equipment regularly is a must.

Further information regarding residential fall protection can be utilized on the website seen here.

Continue reading " Residential roofing falls a common cause of Chicago construction accidents " »

Two Illinois companies are being cited by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration for unsafe work conditions.

Our Chicago worker's compensation attorneys fight for the rights of employees who are injured on the job in Illinois. Far too often these accidents occur because an employer fails to provide the proper training or to properly outfit their employees with the right equipment and safety gear.

In the first case,The Occupation Safety & Health Administration cited the Peoria Siding & Window Company whit failing to provide their workers with fall protection equipment while working on residential roofing projects.

Unfortunately this is not the first time the company has been cited for failing to provide this type of equipment. They had been previously cited in July 2008 and again in July 2010, according to OSHA. The company was issued one willful safety violation, which means they intentionally ignored law's regarding employee safety. The penalty for this kind of violation is $48,400. The company will have 15 days to correct the violation.

"Falls are a leading cause of injury and death in the workplace," said Thomas Bielema, OSHA's area director in Peoria, Ill. "Failing to provide fall protection is unacceptable, and OSHA is committed to ensuring employers abide by this agency's safety and health regulations."

OSHA requires that an efficient type of fall protection, including personal fall arrest systems, guardrails or safety nets, be used by workers performing residential construction jobs that are 6 feet or greater above the next lower level.

Detailed information on fall protection can be found here.

The second case is against Di Paolo Co. in Glenview, Ill., which installs underground water and sewer pipes. The government contends the company failed to provide several safety measures to their workers.

The company was issued one willful safety violation, which means they intentionally ignored law's regarding employee safety involving cave-in protection.

They were also cited for nine serious safety violations. OSHA defines "serious" as being a substantial probability that serious physical harm or death could occur from a hazard that the employer should have known or had previous knowledge of.

The company did not provide fall protection for walkways and shoring systems. They did not have properly trained flagmen. Last, they had unapproved repairs to electrical cords. The total cost of violations to the company is $113,000. The company will have 15 days to correct the violations.

This company has been inspected 20 times since 1982 and has received 33 citations, mostly for violations involving trenching. Four citations were given in 1993 after a worker was killed on a job site.

"Cave-in accidents are a leading cause of worker fatalities during excavations. At the time of the inspection, members of the company's management team were on site and still allowed workers to be exposed to serious safety hazards," said OSHA Area Director Kathy Webb in North Aurora, Ill. "This situation simply is unacceptable, and we will do all we can to protect workers by enforcing OSHA regulations." OSHA requires cave-in protection when workers are excavating in depths greater than 5 feet.

Continue reading " Two Illinois companies cited for unsafe working conditions " »

To the well trained operator, a forklift is a powerful tool. Forklifts are quite often required on job sites like warehouses, merchandise suppliers, or construction areas where materials or products are frequently moved.

The machine is essential when there is a large quantity of material that needs moving, or is too heavy to lift and carry by hand. But they can also pose a danger to operators and to other employees on the ground. Our Chicago workers' compensation attorneys are all too familiar with injuries that are caused by forklift accidents.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, incidents with forklifts cause about 20,000 injuries each year and about 100 workers are killed.

-Forklifts overturning on a worker account for 22% of forklift fatalities.

- Employees who are working in areas where forklifts operate need to be careful as 20% of fatal injuries involving a forklift are caused by workers being hit by one.

-It is extremely dangerous to be lifted by a forklift unless you are wearing a safety harness or the lift cage has railings. Another 9% of workers are killed due to falling off a forklift while working at height.

The Chicago Tribune reported the death of a Romeoville stone supply worker who was crushed by marble slabs. The 23 year old worker was assisting a forklift driver unload a bundle of marble slabs. It is unknown how the load shifted and landed on him. The weight of the slabs was about three tons, which killed him instantly. It took rescue workers over three hours to recover his body underneath the marble.

On the job training is a necessity when jobs require any kind of fork lift operation in order to complete the task. In order to reduce the risk of forklift accidents, drivers need to be licensed and receive proper safety training. Employers have the responsibility and need to train employees regarding proper forklift loading and operation. Improper loading can lead to a shift in weight and cause the load to fall. Workers may feel the need to increase productivity by driving too fast or stacking too high. Driving forklifts too fast or with loads too high is extremely dangerous and must be avoided.

Large machines can be very dangerous when operated without proper training. Chicago employers and business owners have the responsibility to train thoroughly so that accidents can be prevented.

Continue reading " Chicago forklift accident claims life of Romeoville employee " »

"Going green" is a phenomenon that has the country paying attention to health issues and making the world a better place to live environmentally. Though it has taken some time to evolve, the green revolution has created a bigger challenge of creating jobs in an unstable economy where jobs are so desperately needed.

Our Chicago work injury attorney's want to warn you that "green jobs" may be saving the economy and the environment but like most jobs, there are dangers involved in these kinds of jobs, too.

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration describes green jobs as those which aid in cultivating the environment. Examples of industries creating these types of jobs are green roofs, solar, biofuels, recycling, wind energy, and geo-thermal energy.

But preserving the environment doesn't necessarily mean these types of jobs are safe for the employees who perform them. In fact, they have a lot of the same hazards as many other jobs but can also include new dangers. One of the most common is exposure to hazardous chemicals or materials that have little history in the work environment because of their use in new manufacturing processes.

David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor, states "It's not a matter of choosing either a green future or safe jobs. It's both. It's all or nothing, and NIOSH, OSHA and everyone else needs to play a role in building this sustainable economy - an economy that will provide sufficient jobs, green jobs, and jobs that are safe for all workers."

"It is vital, now, that we integrate worker safety and health concerns into green manufacturing, green construction and green energy," Dr. Michaels said. "Most importantly: We must push worker health and safety as a critical, necessary, and recognized element of green design, green lifecycle analysis and green contracts."

OSHA, committed to the safety of workers and employers in the work force, is encouraging green manufacturers to practice "Prevention through Design." This system ensures that safety and health professionals work with design engineers in the initial stages of product design to eliminate possible hazards to the employee.

Employers have a responsibility to keep their employees safe. The fear of the unknown is really what employees are in danger of. With the help of the government and organizations like OSHA and NIOSH employees can feel a little better about applying and accepting positions at "green" industries in Chicago.

Continue reading " Government monitors risk of Chicago work accidents involving "green jobs" " »